Uptake and Inflammatory Effects of Nanoparticles in a Human Vascular Endothelial Cell Line

Research Report 136, Uptake and Inflammatory Effects of Nanoparticles in a Human Vascular Endothelial Cell Line, is one part of HEI's larger program on the health effects of particulate matter and its various components. This report describes a one-year study to evaluate which physicochemical characteristics of metal nanoparticles may contribute to their toxicity. Nanoparticles of oxides of iron, zinc, yttrium, and cerium were generated in the laboratory and characterized in detail, followed by preliminary studies of inflammatory effects in human endothelial cells exposed to these nanoparticles.